Bernie Miklasz is an American sportswriter and sports radio personality. He was the lead sports columnist at the St. Louis Post Dispatch from 1999 to 2015. He hosts the morning show on 101 ESPN in St. Louis.

There is so much comedy in here, I can’t pick my favorite. The current contenders are the question comparing Donaldson and Gyrko and a Goold answer in the Bryce Harper question where he says you can’t be sure that the Cubs 3rf starter will be better than the Cardinals 6th starter. I mean if they have 6 starters that are better than Lester, Hendricks, Quintana I’d actually be scared of the Cardinals.

"I suppose, the one skepticism about the Cards’ young starters is that we just went through this with their young sluggers. And Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk (and Aledmys Diaz) never became the coverboys some thought they’d become."

Bernie MiklaszLet’s Face It: The Cubs and Cardinals Are Competing On Different Levels

Quote

To the surprise of no one, the Cubs and Yu Darvish agreed to terms on a six-year contract that will pay the RH starting pitcher $126 million.

Cardinals fans reacted calmly to the news.

Actually, no…

They did not.

Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and GM Michael Girsch are getting reviews nastier than leading “Worst Film of 2017” candidate “Mother,” starring Jennifer Lawrence.

Let’s clear some smoke and assess the Darvish damage.

1. Was anyone stunned by this? If so, why?2. The Cubs already had the better overall team and a stronger rotation than St Louis.3. The Cardinals had a more moderate, measured plan for improving their pitching for 2018.4. So why have the Cubs outspent the Cardinals by a nearly 8-to-1 ratio so far this offseason?5. The Cubs have put another $215 million on their long-term payroll commitments for a simple reason:6. The Cardinals aren’t competing at the same level as the Cubs … so let’s just drop the pretense. 7. Realistically, the Cardinals are a real long shot to catch the Cubs in 2018 … 8. No disrespect intended, but fans and media hollering at the Cardinals 9. It’s important to remember how the Cardinals operate. 10. I’m not saying I agree with this strategy; I just recognize it’s worked well for this management team.